It was another great day at The Even Place, as Dr. Alvin Jones interview the author of "The ADD Myth" Martha Burge.  Listen as they talk about one of the most divisive issues in education and child psychology today.

Martha Burge talks with Dr. Alvin Jones

One of my most rewarding and important experiences as a young adult was working at an African American bookstore chain, run like a close-knit family.  The first day on the job the owner, knowing most retail employees are usually just passing through, gave me a copy of The Mis-education of the Negro by Carter Woodson, and let me see a copy of the lease so I would know what to look for when one day I opened my own business.  The business was built around a culture of black education and financial empowerment, and used every opportunity to reiterate to all the employees and the community.  The owners of this store have figured out in the 90’s what Nick Sarillo calls in his new book "High performance culture", and I had been fortunate to see it in action.

Nick Sarillo and his family restaurant ‘Nick’s Pizza and Pub” has similarly clearly identified it’s purpose and nurtured a culture of high performance, a phenomenon he chronicles in his book and through Nick’s book A Slice of the Pie: How to Build a Big Little Business, Nick shows how his business successful makes sure that all it’s employees, executives and the community at large is drawn into the purpose of the organization.

My initial fear was that this would be some didactic lecture using middle management and economic terms to squeeze every ounce of productivity out of a company.  Instead I breezed through Nick’s tails of engaging his employees by making sure they understood the purpose of the business, and how that helped give his small restaurant attain unprecedented profit margins.  One of the most crucial concepts in the book is the difference between mission, vision, and (the most crucial to Nick’s business) purpose.  Mission is an aspiration you have for your company.  Vision is a specific goal your organization wishes to achieve.  Both of those change and evolve over time, as the business progresses through many phases.  Purpose, however, is the more than the idea and the goals of the organization.  It is the spirit of the business, and should be honed and fined tuned until it can be spoken clearly and succinctly by everyone involved in the company.  

Here at the Even Place, we are committed to helping our partners increase their personal wealth, and learning how to run a successful small business is one of the best ways to do it.  Take a listen to Dr. Jones’ interview with Nick Sarillo, then feel free to click the links and check out and purchase his book online, then join us in the conversation as we continue our path of Balance – Discernment – Fitness at the even place.  We gladly endorse Nick’s book, and hope you get a chance to read and learn from it the same way we have!



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